


I'm Here With You

by SariaSpeaks



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Widojest Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:13:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25172938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SariaSpeaks/pseuds/SariaSpeaks
Summary: My contribution to Widojest Week 2020, Day 4.Paint/Soot covered fingers.Caleb faces his demons and Jester makes him a promise.
Relationships: Jester Lavorre/Caleb Widogast
Kudos: 35





	I'm Here With You

Trent's ashes were lost to the wind. The stillness in this victory hung there for seconds, minutes. The Mighty Nein all turned to one another one by one, checking their faces, checking their wounds. Everyone was completely exhausted, and completely spent.

Jester's eyes found Caleb's first. She was the closest to him so she saw first hand what a mess he was. He seemed to be keeping himself upright on will power alone as he stared at Trent's charred remains several feet away. He struggled through every breath, swaying slightly on his feet, covered in sweat, blood, and soot.

"Caleb...?" She was close enough that she didn't have to shout to get his attention. Her voice was hoarse. The smoke and ash in the air burned at the back of her throat. 

He didn't answer her. Something desperate, something important pushed her back into motion as she went to him. "Caleb, hey." She spoke softly, carefully. As she got closer she found every wound Trent had inflicted him with. There were even new, and intentional scratch marks in the very same places where his old scars were. Jester's heart ached. Every part of him was bleeding out, she realized.

She reached out for his hand. Charred almost completely black with soot. It was hot and clammy to the touch. She ran her thumb up and down the course of his fingers, his knuckles, his callouses.

Caleb blinked back to the present at her touch. It took him a second, but then he turned and found her face, her eyes. "Jester." he whispered. The words were tired, and laced with disbelief. "Is it...over?"

She couldn't help it, her heart swelled with warmth and breath as she beamed at him. Her answer was breathy with the beginnings of a laugh. "Ja, Caleb. It's over now."

He immediately swayed and began to fall. Jester rushed to catch him and braced against him to slowly set them both on their knees facing each other. The wide open battlefield around them continued to burn in small patches of flame. The rest of the Nein were engrossed with tending to each other around them. They all knew Caleb would need space to process this, and knew just as well that Jester was the best person to be there while he did. Veth of all people had told her so. Maybe that was why Jester didn't second guess herself when she leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together. 

"It's okay. I'm here with you." 

She knew that promise wasn't enough to cure him. She knew this broken man who had done and endured so much would have a long, long, battle ahead of him that only he could fight. Though she also knew he needed to know, to be shown that he was loved. Even now. Even after all this. All the horrible things Trent had told her Bren had done. He was still a good person to her. He was still Caleb to her. 

Once he realized how close they were she felt Caleb begin to pull away from her. Not just from shock, but from shame. So she took his hand again, still covered in soot, and pressed it to the side of her face.

His eyes went wide as saucers. His mouth opened and closed with the ghosts of speech that ultimately left him. His eyes darkened and deepened to that one shade of blue she'd only seen once. Once, when she'd bought him those spell components and he'd been speechless just like this. Jester smiled.

"I'm here with you, Caleb." She said it again. He stared at her, and kept staring as he tried to sort out her meaning. Then she saw the light of realization cross his face. 

_That's right stinky wizard. You're stuck with me now._

As if he'd heard her thoughts, he began to shake. He was crying. Jester just held him there as he did, both her hands over his. Perhaps years of guilt, hatred in all its forms, shame, misery, and relief came out of him in those moments. Jester just kept holding him.

More time passed, long enough that Jester regained enough strength to cast healing spells on them both. It wasn't much but it did wonders to calm them down. By this time Caleb was just absentmindedly stroking Jester's hands with his own. It made her happy he hadn't let her go at any point while they'd been sitting here.

There was soot all over their hands now but Jester didn't care. Caleb was there, present with her, and allowing her to comfort him. It meant the world.

"Your hands." He muttered. "I'm sorry."

Her previous thoughts in mind, she smiled, and did a very Jester thing in response. She pulled out her paints. Caleb furrowed his brows at her, but waited as she took out her brush and put splashes of paint on both of their hands and of course, little green dicks.

"Now we're even!" She beamed. 

Caleb blinked at her and looked back down at the insane mess of color and soot mixed together between them. The meaning wasn't lost there either. He looked back at her and offered the smallest quirk of a smile. For Jester, that was more than enough. 


End file.
